Advice on damage to a home

[Michael Nahm]

I just had a family move out of a home we own, after living there for 5 years.

They consistently paid rent on time and generally contacted us when various things were not working, such as a fridge needing replacement or the dishwasher wouldn’t drain, and we’d arrange for a replacement or a repair.

After vacating the home, we noticed a dry stain on the dining room ceiling, that was never disclosed, resulting in cracking of the ceiling’s drywall, which needed repair.

In addition, there was an active leak under the sink of the guest bathroom that resulted in a stain on the ceiling of the garage.

My question is, would these repairs be something I should deduct from the security deposit. The lease stipulates that any damage should be reported promptly, and not doing so could be deemed neglect and result in damage that would be the responsibility of the tenant.

This is on top of the fact that they did not even vacuum the home.

I generally return security deposits in full, and this family asked to move out a month early (they purchased their own home), knowing they’d be responsible for paying the rent until the end of the lease. 

We gave preference to prospective tenants that could move in at the start of that month, so the old tenants wouldn’t have to pay for that last month, and managed to do so.

However, with all the repairs needed, the new tenants couldn’t move in at the start of the month, and only do so two weeks into that month.

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

[Richard F.]

@Michael Nahm, if the Tenant was in there 5 years, when was the last time you inspected the interior?